Boann Distillery Vintage Mashbills

Changing the rules of how Single Pot Still Whiskeys have been made for the last 40 years was an opportunity to show how progressive the people at the Boann Distillery are. With renowned whiskey historian Fionnán O’Connor, they worked together to bring his PhD thesis ‘The History and Culinary Potential of Lost Irish Mashbills’ into reality.

This unique project combines the fascinating history of silent distilleries with the traditional craft of whiskey distilling. The use of modern technology allowed an unprecedented glimpse into the world of Irish whiskey history from the early 1800’s until the mid twentieth century breaking down the more recent thinking that a Single Pot Still is made from a mash of 60/40 malted and unmalted barley.

Digesting and consolidating the core of the thesis, a tasting pack was developed centering around each mashbill ‘new make’ distillate. For the lucky 500 people who purchased, this pack would correspond with a on-line tasting presentation with the Head Distillery at Boann and Fionnán.

Securely packaged in a format that would allow for safe national and international mailing, the initial presentation of the box is of simplicity. Consisting of an outer sleeve of black stock and a white screenprinted brand-marque. The marque uses a vintage letter based combination lock as a visual metaphor for the unlocking of Ireland’s vintage mashbill combinations.

As it is unpacked more detail of the story is revealed; the black outer sleeve gives way to a white inner box depicting an illustration of the Boann Distillery’s Lauter Mash Tun which on opening unfolds the richness of the experience; 10 miniature colour coded bottles, foil finished and carrying the mashbill percentages are paired with a foiled envelope containing the 10 corresponding tasting cards and a letter of introduction. A gold rimmed Túath tasting glass completes the set giving an all-in-one tasting package.

The bottles and tasting cards work together to give insight into the history of each mashbill and have a nice level of interaction and purpose that with the on-line presentation make the participant more involved on the journey that this project unfolds.